1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of determining the safety/threat level of an individual, providing a host of capabilities, systems, procedures and technology to improve that safety level or address specific threats, to an algorithm that receives information from various sources, including the user, to determine and manage their safety level, and to a remote monitoring center which provides active support not only for managing user safety and specific threats, but also for emergency and non-emergency response during pre-incident, incident, incident respite, and post incident situations.
2. Description of Related Art
We are constantly reminded of the need for personal safety in today's society. The average person will be a victim of one or more crimes in their lifetimes. Meanwhile, significant constraints exist on the current criminal justice system as well as on private security companies to protect people. It follows that alternatives to traditional 911 emergency system response would be beneficial. For example, some alternatives provided by the present invention include: a “stand-by 911” button which allows a user to walk through a dangerous area knowing that by only releasing the button their GPS coordinates and a 911 call will be communicated, the interruption of a crime in progress through electronic and other means (e.g. a speaker is turned on remotely and an officer speaks to the perpetrator), delay of a crime in progress (e.g. by having an alarm on a phone which indicates emergency or security personnel are aware of the situation and/or en-route) and virtually escorting an individual as they encounter an unknown person such as on a blind date or in another situation. It also follows that awareness of and management of an individual's safety/danger level as well as the ability to address specific threats would be beneficial. For example, if on a blind date, a user may request a regular check-in or monitoring of location relative to a planned itinerary. If either appears suspicious, appropriate action could be taken. Providing information on safe places to meet, investigating the proposed date, collecting identifying information, and establishing user routines would all have the effect of mitigating the threat of rape, assault, robberies, etc. An intelligent system which can assess risk, provide a measurable rating, and recommendations to reduce that risk, would reduce the likelihood of an incident, mitigate the effect if one does occur, and bring peace and well-being to the user.
Today's technology provides us with public services such as the 911 telephone number for rapidly summoning emergency help if we are able to access a telephone, dial the number, and communicate our location. However, these services fall short in the case of a young child, a mentally incompetent or medically incapacitated person, someone lost in the woods, the victim of an abduction or kidnapping or any individual that is in the middle of a violent crime and therefore cannot use current cellular phone or traditional communication technologies to call for assistance. These situations necessitate a security system that travels with the individual, is not limited in range, is able to define and signal an emergency situation without human intervention and sometimes in the most chaotic and violent situations, and that may identify the individual's location. Such a system would provide protection and peace of mind to the individual, as well as peace of mind to those responsible for his or her care and well-being.
Current available technology does not address the case of an individual who is helpless in an emergency situation where information is required so that the appropriate authorities can respond quickly and efficiently to a distress signal generated by the individual. Providing personal safety for persons at risk demands a fully automated and responsive system for summoning assistance. Current technology also does not measure one's relative level of danger or safety and does not take into consideration measurable factors such as, for example, atypical movement or time-based activity, geographic crime levels, time of day, or other factors.
Additionally, children are abducted daily in our society by strangers, family and friends. Police response frequently occurs hours after such abduction. In many cases the children are harmed and in some cases they are killed. There are child-tracking devices commercially available which are capable of monitoring the location of the missing child but there are no known commercially available devices that monitor the children's′ activities and surroundings that may indicate danger is imminent. These commercially available devices cannot monitor the movements of a person with the intent to abduct or harm a child as the person approaches the child. Further, these devices cannot warn the child to run away and seek safety nor do they provide an evidence-gathering ability which can serve as a deterrent and a further system to protect children and other vulnerable populations.
In addition, current personal GPS devices that are worn or carried allow an individual's location to be tracked and, in some cases, allow help to be summoned in an emergency by transmitting the current location of the individual to providers of emergency services. However, these systems fail to convey potentially valuable information such as a voice message, an image and/or a movie/video. For example, this information could be useful in identifying a perpetrator suspect or for determining what type of emergency response (e.g., police, ambulance, and fire) is appropriate. Another drawback of current systems is that they fail to integrate other common portable devices, such as cellular phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Having one more electronic device to carry reduces the likelihood that an individual will lose it.
In addition, current systems do not allow for variable responses based on an individual, situation, or environment scale of safety/danger status. One can either call 911 and initiate an official response or decide not to call 911. Alternatively, one can either call a security company or not. There is no intermediate service that can bridge this gap.
Furthermore, current security systems do not anticipate when a threatening incident will occur, or may occur. Thus, current systems only assist users while an incident is occurring, or after an incident has already occurred. Current systems do not provide intelligence and support that anticipates an incident, and provides assistance in hopes of preventing harm or injury to the user before an incident occurs. Current systems do not manage relative safety levels or provide tools to deal with possible threats, nor do they provide tools to improve the safety level.
Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods that overcome the deficiencies of traditional personal safety monitoring, signaling, alerting and response systems.